Thanks
to their parents’ hand-held devices, tablets and computers, Babies everywhere
are tapping or thumbing keyboards and finger-swiping screens, honing digital
skills while living their Baby lives.

What
fun I had bringing this newest of worlds to the sturdy pages of the ultimate
hand-held device: the baby board book.

What
fun it was adding that human touch to
Touch Technology.

Be
sure to read to the end of this post to learn how two TeachingAuthor readers can win a free copy of Txtng Mama Txtng Baby.I love so many things about this 4” x 6 ½” book, starting with the cheery cover and the ♥key on the keyboard.

I
love the story- a playful through-the-day conversation between Mama and Baby that
invites interaction.

I
love the telling – tunefully-ordered familiar text phrases, such as I C U and xxooo, that beg to be repeated.

Fortunately
by then, the four words texting Mamas
texting Babies had become a refrain that book-ended a dialogue that
eventually gave birth to a baby board book.The
vision and efforts of my Sleeping Bear Press publisher Heather Hughes, editor
Amy Lennex and art director Jennifer Bacheller contributed immeasurably to the
book’s singular look and telling, not to mention its caring delivery.

Of
course, anyone who knows me, and not even well,
knows I am The Least Likely Person to Have Created This Book.

(I
texted my very first message January 18, 2013, at 2:13 pm, three years after entertaining
the idea behind this book.)

Research
uncovered my Techy ID - “digital immigrant.”

I
have the heart of a Luddite.Technology
and I don’t play well together.

Ironically,
my very first foray into children’s book writing was another baby board book, inspired by my grandson’s Poppy, my then
one-year-old son, in 1976: THE A TO Z OF ME.

I’d
created a personalized ABC book, with plastic inserts for renewable photos, to
capture a baby’s loves and life.Publishers and toy companies embraced the abecedarian story but regrettably turned
it down due to my telling’s exorbitant manufacturing costs.

“The
technology simply isn’t available,” one company executive told me, “to produce
this book and make a profit.”

Who
knew what was coming down the pike?!

By
the early part of this 21st century, the Internet offered any parent
free software and POD opportunities to
help create and publish a personalized ABC book for his or her child.

So
here’s one more thing I love about Txtng
Mama Txtng Baby: 2day’s Techy-Techy World is my story!And
my message remains the same: Mama ♥ Baby.

Be
sure to return Wednesday, for a Writing Workout that utilizes this newest of
languages - text, then again on Friday when I share not only a text-written
poem to honor Poetry Friday, but truths I gleaned from my research on Babies,
Toddlers, Texting and Technology.

10
Q 4 letting me share my Good News.

Feel
free to tweet it 2 and add it to your Facebook page. J

C
U Wednesday 4 a WWW!

Esther
Hershenhorn

* * *

And now, for the Book
Giveaway Details!

Once
again we’re using Rafflecopter to give away two signed copies of Txtng Mama Txtng Baby(Sleeping Bear Press)!

If
you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to read HERE about
how it words. And click
HERE to learn the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. signing in
with your email address.

You’ll see you have three different
options for entering the giveaway: you can pick one or up to all
three.The more options you choose, the
greater your chances of winning.(If you received this post via
email, you can click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to
enter.)

If
you enter via a comment to this blog post, please tell us your favorite
emoticon--think the : and ) that create a smiling face, or an initialism, such as OMG.

The
giveaway will run from today, August 5, through August 13, 2013. To celebrate the arrival of the book in the warehouse, we've extended the giveaway through August 20, 2013!Winners will now be notified August 21, 2013.

LOL! I am not up on the texting world but do have (another) grand baby due in September, whose daddy is a computer expert.

So it'd be great to win your book, Esther. If I don't, I'll buy it.

My editor's adult daughter often responded to his advice with "LOL," which he thought meant "Lots of love." He thought she was expressing her love and treasuring his suggestions -- until someone translated for him.

What a great idea for a book! My 3 yr. old granddaughter and 1 yr. old grandson are already doing all sorts of cool things on the computer. I know they would love this book. I don't text so I'm not really too familiar with emoticons, but last spring I saw one of my students text the new boy, "U R a QT!"

Thanx, Anne and Linda, for cheering on TXTNG MAMA TXTNG BABY!It should be arriving in stores by the start of next week.(It shipped from the printers on Monday.)And, beautiful grandkiddos, Linda. What books have THEY inspired? :)

Hurray for Esther! I can't wait to buy the book--I have a "QTπ" niece who will love it. I have to mention one more emoticon...my hubby sent it once when I get the better of him in a heated text discussion:

I LOVE the whole concept of your book - what a great baby shower gift; new mommy present, etc. etc. Love great ideas. And emotioncon I finally learned how to make a heart <3 -- < and a 3 - how simple is that.

Esther: This is awesome. I'm behind on my e-mail, so I'm behind entering this, but so glad that I found out on the last day. Congrats. My daughter is a screen swiper, and she's not even three. She loves to play on the tablet. She loves to color pictures on the tablet. I told her sometimes she needs to use real markers! HA! Would love to win!

The TeachingAuthors are six children's book authors with a wide range (and many years) of experience teaching writing to children, teens, and adults. Here, we share our unique perspective as writing teachers who are also working writers. Our regular features include writing exercises (our"Writing Workouts"), teaching tips, author interviews, book reviews, and more. Click here for detailed information about our "Writing Workouts." For our individual bios, please see the "About Us" page. To contact us regarding reviewing a book on the craft of writing, see the section below labeled SUBMITTING BOOKS FOR REVIEW.

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The individual opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other contributors to the blog, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of any of our publishers. We encourage our visitors to try out the tips and advice shared here. However, please do not copy any information without the written consent of the person who posted it.Thank you.

Disclaimer and Copy Notice

The individual opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other contributors to the blog, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of any of our publishers. We encourage our visitors to try out the tips and advice shared here. However, please do not copy any information without the written consent of the person who posted it.Thank you!